In 1994, artist Jeffrey Shaw exhibited a work titled “The Golden Calf” at Ars Electonica 94 in Austria. The work consisted of a white plinth in the middle of a room with a portable monitor sitting on top that the audience could pick up and view a virtual version of the plinth through with a Golden Calf on top. Similarly, Reorchestrated Space explores the idea of an empty display mechanism that the audience can populate with the artists work using a mobile device.

In biblical terms, the Golden Calf was created to remove the anxiety associated with the absence of Moses when he climbed Mount Sinai. Similarly, Shaw’s Golden Calf may have removed the anxiety associated with the absence of an expected work on the plinth. This is further examined in Novak’s work where the audience can fill an empty frame using augmented reality.

Returning to the biblical reference, people danced around the Golden Calf as an act of worship and this was reflected in Shaw’s work where it appeared the audience danced around the plinth as they moved the portable monitor around. In Novak’s work, the audience may also be seen to dance as they search for the correct position to activate the work.

Unlike Shaw’s work, Novak’s work uses sound. This reflects the main focus of Novak’s practice, which is to explore the idea that “everything is music”. His recent works have considered everyday objects or locations as subjects such as drinking fountains, light switches, or entire buildings. The musicality behind each object or location is revealed through colour and abstract forms as experienced by Novak through synesthesia, and in Reorchestrated Space, the musicality behind an empty frame is uncovered.

Shannon Novak – Biography
Shannon Novak is an artist based in Auckland, New Zealand. He works in painting, sculpture, and installation, with a focus on using geometric forms to explore his deep and abiding interest in the interrelationships between sound, colour, form, time, space, and social context. He completed a residency at CentralTrak, The University of Texas at Dallas Artists Residency in 2011, has been engaged in public commissions in Auckland, New Plymouth, and Denver, and co-founded West gallery at The University of Auckland in 2012.

Come along and meet Shannon on Skype and see what interesting things he have been doing.